Embedded Files
November & December 2016
November & December 2016
volume 1, issue 4
volume 1, issue 4
by Michael Beckwith, Instructional Coach
Season’s greetings friends! Hooray, break and the holidays are upon us. Likewise, it is encouraging to see and hear so many positive stories about Arvada coming from the local community and news outlets regarding the terrific things happening. It reaffirms what we already knew as truth – Bulldogs make great things happen! As the 2016 calendar draws to an end and we embark on the second semester of our journey, hopefully you will take time to reflect and make a few professional resolutions in the spirit of growth and the New Year.
This month’s issue of KIBBLE delves into the hard questions we are asked to contemplate in our profession’s tussle with our ever-evolving students, community, and society. Matt Teegarden examines student Choice and Accountability and how the two, working in symbiotic unison, delineate the difference between empowerment and entitlement. Next, Mark Abling offers sage advice, concerning high expectations, as we establish academic settings that facilitate students becoming leaders of their own learning. Lastly as we reflect on our initial PBL experiences in an effort refine and improve the process for another hack, Keila Castorena shares an uplifting story of success and student growth.
Friends, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. As we transition into the next phase of the school year, make sure to recharge and remember to always put “first things” first.
the antidote to a culture of entitlement
the antidote to a culture of entitlement
by Matt Teegarden, Social Worker
“Empowerment,” like “collaboration,” are both words that are used frequently with nothing but positive intention but often with multiple interpretations of their meaning.
I like to think about empowerment as a process forming a circle. The top half of the circle of empowerment is Choice. The bottom half of the circle of empowerment is Accountability.
Acknowledging the reality of Choice is critical in creating a culture of empowerment. Acknowledging the reality of Choice deflates the illusion of Control. I often pause when the parents of teenagers state, “I have lost control of my child.” As I spend time caring for my three year-old and nine month-old granddaughters, I realize that what I really Control is my response to their behavior. We can certainly and do create structures and systems that both teach and guide them in positive directions. However, in the end, they make their choices and I provide responses or consequences that hold them accountable in such a way as to encourage positive, prosocial behavior and to discourage hurtful, irresponsible behaviors. (This is the essence of PBIS.)
Being held Accountable for our Choices is what separates empowerment from entitlement. The circle of empowerment communicates to young people, and not so young people, that, “I embrace your right to Choice and you know also that you will stand Accountable for the consequences of your behavior--both positive and not so positive.” Without Accountability false-empowerment is really entitlement which is to say, “You can do anything that you want to do and there is no consequence.” It is irresponsible for us, as adults in the lives of young people, to in any way foster a sense that their Choices have no consequence. That is not the real world.
Empowerment allows people the freedom to make their own Choices with the understanding that they will stand Accountable for the consequences of their actions. They will be empowered to learn from and to celebrate the positive effects of responsible Choices and to learn from the corrective consequences of irresponsible Choices. Failing to complete the circle of empowerment by not following Choice with Accountability teaches our young people that they can do whatever they want to do regardless of personal or social consequences.
Student-led learning allows us to fully teach the process of empowerment. By learning to stand Accountable for their Choices, our young people can enter the world of adulthood ready to access opportunity, to build positive and productive lives, and to create a strong and healthy community.
by Mark Abling, Social Studies Teacher
Students will either rise or fall to the expectations you set. One of the reasons they fall is because we don't set up the classroom with enough structures and routines. If you don't take your class seriously, neither will your students.
To facilitate an environment where students are held to strong standards, be professional and model what you expect from them. Having a general structure to every class period really helps students know what to expect. Have a warm up at the beginning of class every day. The warm up can be a review from previous class periods or a preview to what is happening today. The warm up tells students that the second they walk into the room, something is expected of them. Have it on the board and ready to start so that they could start during passing period while you are in the hallway. The body of the class should have a mix of guided instruction and student work. The work should be targeted to exactly what you want them to learn and not a random worksheet. While they are working, to ensure complete understanding, walk around the room and check on the students. This tells the students that you care about them actually doing the assignment. If you sit behind your desk and grade or check email, it tells the students they are not important enough for your time. Walking around will also eliminate many discipline problems before they occur. A student will be less likely to misbehave if you are right there overseeing what they are doing. A closure activity/statement is also an excellent way to ensure that students are working. If they know they have to produce something during the period and that you will hold them accountable for the learning, they will be more likely to produce something. This could be an overarching question, or answering your learning target or objective.
The first and last five minutes are the most important times when establishing a routine. Be on time to class and expect the students to work from bell to bell. Do not be late, or that tells the students it's okay to be late. Don't end early and let the students line up at the door either, it tells the students that closure is not necessary and that the work they did for the period couldn't have been that important. It also distracts other classroom if your students are loud at the door.
by Keila Castorena, World Language Teacher
When I decided I was going to do a PBL that was pre-made and that had nothing to do with the content area that I teach, I got very scared. It wasn't very clear to me how I was going to adapt it to Spanish, or how I was going to deliver the PBL period. The urge and need to start with a PBL right away gave me the courage to move forward with it, as I was already 100% bought into the teaching and learning philosophy behind doing a big project. I felt like I was about to go down a rollercoaster, and the thought of not knowing what the outcome was going to be was killing me!
First week started and I launched my first attempt, as I remembered everything that we did at the Boetcher Mansion with our mini PBL and I took that experience and used it with my students in my classes. I am relieved to say that everything was okay! Students worked in groups, groups were collaborating with ideas, everyone in the group was speaking and contributing. My biggest surprise as I was observing my students work throughout this whole process, was looking at my most shy students come out of their shell in their groups. Watching this entire process happen slowly is an amazing thing because it happens right in front of your eyes. I invited administrators, teachers and even district coaches to come and watch my students present and participate and be panelists of the "Shark Tank" that I put together for my students to present. My students were very nervous, they were reluctant to do it, but as time passed they were more and more invested and committed to their group. After they presented, the next day in class we had a small celebration and debriefed about the entire experience.
I speak now from experience and say that PBL is a great way of teaching. There will be challenges, but don't we always have challenges regardless even when we're not doing projects? I encourage all my fellow colleagues to try and do at least one PBL throughout this school year because it will be the only way that as a teacher can let go of the fear to teach differently and let go of the control of the classroom, but pass that control over to the students. My students' grades got better, my students' attitudes were better and my students' work quality became also better. As a teacher, more could I ask for?
Don't forget to bookmark KIBBLE now!
Report abuse